Skip to main content

This 1949 Barn Find Coupe Was Resurrected As a 638-Horsepower Hellraiser

ICON Derelict 1949 Hudson Coupe

Most classic cars exist in one of two states. The majority occupy near-full garages collecting dust as cherished “project cars” to be completed at some future date which may or may not ever come. Some owners with the right money and resources, on the other hand, meticulously refinish their rides with mostly original parts, polish them to within an inch of their lives, and spend a few days each month showing them off to friends and neighbors. The automotive wizards at LA’s ICON take a decidedly different tack, which is how this derelict, Flying-40s-era coupe was reborn.

This 1949 Hudson Coupe “barn find” was discovered somewhere in the wilds of North Carolina. As part of its intense Derelicts series, ICON resurrected the nearly 70-year-old ride in epic fashion. They started by cutting into the heart of the car and replacing it with a monster, 6.2L supercharged LS9 V8 engine pushing 638 horsepower and more than 600 foot-pounds of torque. They proceeded with a stem-to-stern refresh complete with modern, race-worthy components. The original transmission was swapped for a 4-speed automatic, a fully adjustable four-wheel independent suspension was retrofitted, and they upgraded to a custom ICON Brembo GT brake package. The ICON team allowed just the right amount of the car’s classic character and patina to remain. Subtle crackles in the original paint, unrestored bumper chrome, and unpolished handles all give it a distinct rock n’ roll attitude.

Nowhere is that attitude more defined than the interior. The Hudson’s original seats were replaced with hand-dyed wild alligator and Moore & Giles leather. German wool carpeting blankets the floor. Alligator-trimmed wool sun visors and a wool headliner round out the upholstery. The driver sits behind a custom cast, 16-inch, translucent blue steering wheel with unrestored Hudson brightwork and horn ring. The gauges were restored with all modern internals, and CNC aluminum accents frame the dash. Tasteful LED lighting and a high-end audio system with hidden controls elevate the overall aesthetic into the 21st century.

ICON’s Derelict series reimagines defunct, vintage — some might indeed say “derelict” — rides as beastly daily drivers with the same beautiful lines, but all-new underpinnings. This includes models from almost any make or era, so long as the design is classic and distinct. In their own words, they “[s]tay faithful to the original aesthetic design, and in some cases ask what was the purest intended form of the design in the eyes of the original designer, before the business priorities made sacrifices in design and detail.” This allows ICON to “[e]liminate the archaic mechanical elements to allow users to get the best of both worlds; classic styling and modern performance.” The result is a race-ready ride under the hood with the timeless aesthetic of a vintage daily driver.

Sadly, as most of the company’s projects are custom, the ICON Derelict 1949 Hudson Coupe is spoken for. However, they’ll happily take any aging ride you provide and give it a top-down rockabilly refresh. They even maintain a stable of classic cars waiting to be reborn as hellraising “daily drivers.” Bring your AmEx Black Card, however. ICON confirms their Derelict series projects start around $200,000, with the most complex models pushing north of $1.5 million.

Editors' Recommendations

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
How many teams are there in Formula 1 in 2024?
!0 teams and 20 drivers compete for the World Championship,
Aston Martin Formula 1 race car driving directly toward the camera.

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix winner's stage Nate Swanner / DTMG

In the current FIA Formula 1 season, ten teams each field two drivers to vie for the highest Grand Prix World Championship points among all competitors. The 2024 F1 schedule has 24 Grand Prix racing events, including six that include a shorter F1 Sprint race.
Why F1 teams matter in the sport

Read more
What engines do Formula 1 cars use?
F1 engines will be carbon neutral starting in 2026
Lewis Hamilton (44) driving for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team during The Australian Formula One Grand Prix Race on April 02, 2023, at The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Albert Park, Australia.

F1 race cars routinely exceed 200 miles per hour during Grand Prix races, which begs the question, "What engines do Formula 1 cars use?" If you expect to hear that F1 race cars use exotic V16 or V12 engines, you may be surprised to learn that they don't even run with V8s. All F1 race cars have a power unit comprising a 1.6-liter V6 hybrid internal combustion engine (ICE) with two on-board electrical energy recovery units. Like almost everything in Formula 1, the engines teams can use in their race cars are strictly defined by the FIA F1 Rules and Regulations.
Why Formula 1 car engines matter

Formula 1 is considered the pinnacle of elite motorsports, which puts the organization in a powerful position to influence other competitive automotive groups. Also, in 2019, F1 committed to being carbon-net-zero by 2030. F1 race cars currently have hybrid gas and electric power units, but starting in 2026, all F1 cars will run on biofuel, a renewable energy source with significantly lower carbon emissions than petroleum-based fuels.
What engines do Formula 1 cars use today?

Read more
Why do they weigh Formula 1 drivers?
Weighing too little is the problem, not weighing too much.
Max Verstappen driving a Red Bull F1 race car.

Formula 1 race car drivers are weighed frequently in compliance with the FIA F1 Technical and Sporting regulations. The weigh-ins are not casual events where a driver hops on a scale, reads their own weight, and goes their merry way. FIA Technical Delegates weigh the drivers to ensure that their race cars are qualified to compete in an F1 Grand Prix or Sprint race. The driver's weight is added to the car's weight to ensure the total meets the minimum mass requirement.
Why it's important to weigh Formula 1 drivers

Monitoring F1 driver weight matters because it helps keep the sport competitive and safe. The FIA governing organization keeps a tight hold on the rules for Formula 1 racing. Because the financial stakes are so high with this elite motorsport, in which winnings are measured hundreds of millions of dollars, anything less than consistent vigilance would be a mistake. F1 teams have budget caps for each season to protect the sport from becoming totally controlled by the team that has the most money to spend.

Read more